Over 1K trees planted, 350 kgs of wastes collected on Arbor Day 2018

Ending their day right, seen in photos are community volunteers and MMDC personnel during the tree-planting and coastal cleanup activities marking the Arbor Day 2018 observance on June 25.

CARRASCAL, Surigao del Sur--"It’s very fulfilling to know that we were able to plant more than 1,000 trees!"

A buoyant Zoilo P. Ramada exclaimed after he and other municipal workers of Cantilan town helped plant a total of 1,189 seedlings organized by Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC).

Ramada, a staff at Cantilan's Municipal Planning and Development Office, is one of the more than 80 volunteers who participated in the tree planting and coastal cleanup marking the Philippine Arbor Day on June 25.

Spearheaded by MMDC's Mine Environmental Protection and Enhancement Department (MEPED), it was a day filled with fun and excitement as company personnel and community stakeholders engaged in tree planting at the Pili mined out area.

Volunteers also joined other pro-environment activities such as a coastal cleanup in Barangay Bon-ot, Carrascal, on water bodies adopted by MMDC for its Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body program.

Anchored on the theme “Tara Na’t Magtanim,” this year's Arbor Day once again showed the power of collaboration between the company and the community.

"We hope that we’re able to inspire the community to help in preserving the environment by partaking in environmental activities," Ramada said. "“This activity is important because it is our way of returning the favor to Mother Nature."

Katrina Plaza, MMDC waste management specialist, underscored the importance of cleaning up coastal areas to prevent the accumulation of harmful plastics that could destroy marine life.

"The 350 kilos of wastes that we collected may not be enough, but it's satisfying to know that still, it's 350 kilos less of harmful materials that can potentially kill marine species," Plaza said, adding that she hopes to see the participation of more civic organizations in next year's Arbor Day observance.